Students should be treated fairly and allowed to play on the team that matches their gender identity

The American Civil Liberties Union supports Minnesota State High School League's move to ensure school activities are inclusive for transgender students.

Contact: Charles Samuelson, ACLU-MN Executive Director, 612-710-9948

October 1, 2015For Immediate Release

St. Paul, Minn – Today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota sent a letter to the Minnesota State High School league urging them to update student activities policies so they are inclusive for transgender students. In their letter the ACLU-MN urged the MSHL stand strong in the face of opposition and to continue on the path of supporting all students.

Below is a short excerpt from the letter we sent on October 1, 2014.

We are talking about our children. They require our support and our consideration, support, and kindness as they grow to adulthood. Like all teenagers they are sensitive, unsure in their place in society, and uncomfortable in their changing bodies. We all have an obligation to treat them equally with their classmates – not to imply that they are somehow monsters or to imply that they will attack other children.

To that end, we urge you to restore language from a previous policy draft that ensures that transgender children are able to use the same facilities as other children of their gender. If privacy is an issue, we would suggest modifications such as shower curtains and private showers for all students. Dozens of states have already instituted such programs with no reports of problems.